Newsshooter has reported a series of image tests on the soon to be released Leica SL. Accredited Camera Technician and Hollywood first AC Tim Arasheban conducted the shoot at Panavision with a pre-production Leica SL.
Check out the video here.
Mmmm, lens charts look pretty on the web, don’t they? Said no one. Download the original file from Vimeo for a better viewing, but be mindful that this is still a compressed export of the test.
It indeed looks good from initial impressions, perhaps the remarks of someone with Tim Arasheban’s experience is more of a takeaway, here they are in a nutshell:
Arri Alexa reminiscent tonal range, subtle and clean skin tones out of the box.
Comparing to the C500 (recently used on a project) an estimated stop less in the shadows, and 1 to 1.5 less in the highlights.
Softer than the Sony A7s but smoother tonal range, 10 bit output ‘above and beyond’ Sonys 8 bit colour.
Very low rolling shutter in S35 mode, similar to 5D in full frame.
Noise level similar to Sony A7S at ISO 3200.
The 4.4 million pixel EyeRes viewfinder was also high in appraisal, billed as one of the best he’d seen on a camera system. The larger sized HDMI port got kudos too.
The setup for these tests were the Leica SL body, shooting to L-Log (pre-production) 4K in S35 mode. ISO 800, shutter 1/50th at 24p. Recording was via the output to a Convergent Design Odyssey 7Q in 4:2:2 10bit. Latter being the key, the camera records 8 bit in-camera, 10bit unlocked via the output.
Carrying such a heavy price tag you’d expect (even demand) that the Leica SL have a very impressive build quality. And this is so; it’s look like this thing will take some abuse.
At this point it’s hard to see exactly where this will sit in the market. A price tag of over $7000 for the spec sheet is perhaps one only Leica could get away with. Reports like this are great in suggesting this is more than a nicely spec’d premium camera; that it may add value to productions that other systems can’t.
Here’s the spec list for the Leica SL (Typ 601)
Lens Mount: Leica L
Sensor: 24MP Full-Frame
Sensor Type / Size CMOS, 24 x 36 mm
Movies: MOV, MP4
Memory Card Type: Dual SDXC/SDHC/SD
Resolutions & Framerates: 4096×2160: 24 fps, 3840×2160: 30 fps, 25 fps, 1920×1080 & 1280X720: 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, 50 fps, 60 fps, 100, 120 fps
Video Clip Length: Up to 29 Minutes
Audio Recording Built-in Mic: With Video, Stereo
Optional External Mic: With Video, Stereo + Mono
Focus Mode: Continuous-servo AF (C), Manual Focus (M), Single-servo AF (S), Touch AF & Shutter
Viewfinder Type: Electronic 4.4M pixel 0.66″
Screen Type: 2.95″ Touchscreen LED (1,040,000)
ISO Sensitivity: Auto, 50-50000
Shutter Speed: 1/8000 – 60 second
Interval Recording Yes
Connectivity” 1/8″ Headphone, 1/8″ Microphone, HDMI A (Full Size), USB 3.0, X-Sync Socket
Wi-Fi Capable Yes
Battery: 1x BP-SCL4 Lithium-ion Battery Pack, 8.4 VDC, 1860 mAh
Dimensions: (WxHxD) 5.8 x 4.1 x 1.5″ / 147.0 x 104.0 x 39.0 mm
Weight: 1.86 lb / 847 g with battery
Via Newsshooter